Iran’s Reaction to JCPOA Withdrawal Would Surprise US: Official

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has devised preparatory measures since a year ago to deal with a possible US scrapping of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a political official at the president’s office said, adding that Tehran’s rapid reaction to such a move by the US would surprise Washington.

In comments on Wednesday, Majid Takht Ravanchi, the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian president’s office for political affairs, said Iran is prepared for the worst-case scenario concerning the JCPOA, saying one could not predict the decision the US president is going to make within the next few days.

Should the US withdraw from the JCPOA, Iran will carry out its response plan so rapidly that would surprise the Americans, he added.

Takht Ravanchi, himself a diplomat engaged in Iran nuclear talks, said Tehran has come up with response plans since a year ago and will adopt the necessary political and economic measures in case the US scraps the nuclear deal.

The US will definitely regret exiting the JCPOA, and will incur much more losses than Iran, the official warned, saying Washington would wonder what a detailed plan Iran has made.

While stressing that all options are on the table if Washington withdraws from the 2015 nuclear deal, Tehran maintains that it will not be the first side to violate the JCPOA.

Since the historic deal was signed in Vienna in July 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.